


let's start this again for real

by notthebigspoon



Series: Mystery in the Making [12]
Category: Baseball RPF, White Collar
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-09-02
Updated: 2012-09-02
Packaged: 2017-11-13 09:21:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,413
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/501951
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/notthebigspoon/pseuds/notthebigspoon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The Giants have a series against the Mets and Tim's only focus is baseball. No worries, no distractions. But if he's honest, before he's on bump and after, all he can think about is seeing the man he loves for the first time in weeks.</p><p>Title taken from Always by Blink-182.</p>
            </blockquote>





	let's start this again for real

Tim doesn't remember the last time he was this wired up before a game. He's nervous, excited and can't stop moving around the clubhouse. The only thing protecting him from the wrath of his teammates is Buster, who carefully shadows Tim and occasionally tells him to dial back on the creepy. When that fails, he drags Tim out onto the field so they can hit the cage first. It keeps Tim busy but it doesn't make the smile go away or even get any smaller.

When the gates open and fans start filling the stands, it takes every ounce of willpower Tim has to not just stand there on the field and scan the crowds. They'll be here and probably in a spot where he can easily see them. The important thing right now is the game. He's on the mound today and he can't afford any distractions. It's difficult, but not impossible, and he pushes all thought of them out of his mind.

It's much easier than he thought it would be. It's insane, like going 15 and 0 on St. Louis all over again. Bochy pulls him in the seventh when they're up by eight and he has to stuff down the insane smile on his face as he heads back to the dugout. He finally allows himself to look around. As he'd figured, they're easy to see. June's wearing an orange skirt suit and El's wearing a Giants jersey that Tim will warrant has a 55 on the back of it. Neal's only concession from his usual wardrobe is an orange tie. Peter's nowhere in sight but there's an empty seat. 

He grins, snaps the ball he's still carrying towards the stands. The crowd rises to their feet and he worries for a moment that someone else will catch it, but El scoops it neatly with a glove before blowing him a kiss and winking. Tim blushes and keeps his head down.

They end up nailing the Mets 9-3. Tim showers before doing anything else, wants to be ready to book it from the clubhouse as soon as the reporters are done throwing questions at him. They're interested in his command of his pitches today but Pagan's three run homer on top of a spectacular catch shifts the attention from him long enough for him to leave. He creeps out the back with Posey and Crawford, waving them past the line of taxis and into June's waiting town car.

He flops back against the seat, laughing breathlessly and shaking his head. “Guys, life is beautiful.”

“A chauffeur, Lincecum? Really?” Buster asks flatly, hooking an arm around Crawford's shoulders and flicking his fingers against Tim's jaw before slipping them under the edge of one of Crawford's sleeves. Ha. Tim knew there was something going on there.

“Not my chauffeur. June's, I told you about her.” Tim answered, grinning at the mirror. “Hey Claude. You mind dropping these idiots off at the team hotel first?”

Claude nods wordlessly and proceeds to ignore them. Crawford sits half on Buster's lap, leaning forward and staring out the window, watching the city go by. Tim watches them with a faint smile. It's sweet, really. It's like they don't even know there's anyone but each other in the world. Tim has to elbow them when they're nearing the team hotel.

They get out of the car without looking back, like he's not even there. Tim eyes them and yeah, Buster's totally checking out Crawford's ass. He rolls his eyes and yells for them to behave themselves. Buster flips him off and shuts the door with a bump of his hip.

“Mr. Lincecum, if they're not in love, then I'll eat that ridiculous hat you're wearing.”

“No bet, Claude. I'd lose.”

“Miserably.”

By the time they make it through Manhattan and pull up in front of June's mansion, Tim is sweating bullets. He hoarsely thanks Claude for the ride before climbing out of the car and staring up at the house, swallowing nervously. He shouldn't be this scared. The man he loves is in there waiting for him, damn it. The man he hasn't seen in weeks and, when this series is over, he probably won't see until the post season.

He nervously smooths his shirt down and then tugs at his sleeves, blindly reaches for his hat. He takes it off and stares at it before pitching it at a trash can. He rakes his hand through his hair before jogging up the steps and knocking on the door. 

He's greeted by the same maid that let him in last time. Instead of going after June, though, this time she leads him up the stairs and through the house. He's chewed his lip raw and he's starting to be a little afraid of what he might be met with. The maid taps on a door, peeking in before smiling and nudging it open, gesturing for Tim to go on inside. He hesitates and takes a breath before doing exactly that.

El and June are sitting at a dining table, both drinking glasses of wine while El rolls the ball Tim had thrown to her around with her fingertips. Burke is leaning against the refrigerator with a beer in hand. And Neal, Neal is standing at the stove, stirring something in a pan. Peter nudges him with his beer, pointing at Tim with it. 

No one has ever said that Tim has very good impulse control, which is why he doesn't stop himself from throwing his arms around Neal's shoulders and kissing him until neither one of them can breathe. He breaks the kiss, panting but he stays pressed against Neal, laughing and shaking his head because being with him again seems almost unreal. It takes a while before he can break the kiss and let go of Neal, blushing darkly.

He's introduced to Burke properly. It's the first time he's met the guy in person, though they've communicated off and on via texting, mostly Burke being nosy and Tim being a dick. He hugs June and El, both of whom have been to games and dinner with him when they were on the west coast. Mozzie is nowhere in sight but Tim knows by now that that doesn't mean that he won't turn up sooner or later.

They eat dinner on the patio and Neal wasn't kidding when he'd talked about a million dollar view and getting bang for his buck. He goes over the game with Burke, whom he finds much more tolerable in person. He updates June on Pablo, whom she'd met when she'd stopped through San Francisco and with whom she'd shared a mutual adoration. El rats out Stew and Peter's bromance. Through it all, Tim can't stop stop looking at Neal. He's not much for PDA but he can't stop touching Neal or leaning in for a kiss.

When dinner is through and dessert is over with, Neal offers coffee but the others politely (and a little obviously) decline and leave far faster than Tim knows they usually would. He doesn't mind. Tim hugs June and El again, shakes Peter's hand. Neal follows them to the door, deals out his own hugs and kisses and says good night before pressing the door shut. He turns the lock, sighing and saying something that sounds very much to Tim like 'finally' before shifting his attention to Tim.

There's barely a moment between when their eyes meet and when Neal is striding forward, pulling Tim into a slick kiss. “Couldn't breathe until I got you alone.”

“Your continued existence says otherwise.” Tim grins, swaying their bodies. Neal's only response is to bite his lips and back Tim up before pushing him onto the bed.

Later, they lay together with the sheets pooled around their waists. Tim hooks his arm around Neal's waist and pulls him close, kissing his shoulder, the back of his neck and then his ear. Neal doesn't wake up, just makes a quiet noise in his sleep that makes Tim smile and kiss him one more time.

It's not much, the time they have together, the only time they'll get to see each other before he moves to New York during the off season. It doesn't matter though, not when they're laying together like this. When he has Neal in his arms, he feels like he can do anything, be anything, conquer the world if he wanted to.

Maybe someday they will.


End file.
